Album Review

Produced by Ciaran Brennan, Landmarks doesn't depart from the group's signature blend of Irish folk, Celtic, worldbeat, new age spirituality, and ambient music, but that's hardly a disappointment, since that is what makes Clannad special. With their albums, the pleasure is in the details and there are plenty of details on Landmarks, from the nuances in Máire Brennan's voice to the percolating rhythms of "A Mhuirin O." These flourishes can be heard throughout the album, and that's what makes the album worthwhile for longtime fans.

Biography

Formed: 1970 in Donegal, Ireland

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Clannad bridged the gap between traditional Celtic music and pop. Usually, their results were an entrancing, enchanting form of pop that managed to fuse the disparate elements together rather seamlessly. Such fusions have earned the band an international cult of fans. Taking their name from the Gaelic word for "family," Clannad formed in 1970 when the Brennan family -- Maire (vocals, harp), Ciaran (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards), Pol (guitar, percussion, flute, vocals) -- began playing at their...